Signs of the Tines: The Ultimate Astrological Cookbook

Each zodiac sign—from Capricorn to Sagittarius—gets a chapter filled with recipes and cooking tips in Porte's astrologically themed cookbook, but the real stars are spiffed-up versions of deeply satisfying comfort foods like slow-cooked wine and Worcestershire sauce–spiked Brunswick stew, carb-rich noodle kugel, and decadent icebox cake laden with chocolate pudding, bananas, rum, and whipped cream. Some of the best dishes are rooted in Porte's Italian-American heritage, among them a crustless ricotta pie, pastina with mint pesto, and sausage and pepper pasta. Although readers unfamiliar with sun signs may benefit less from the author's "astrological gastronomy," Porte's breezy, humorous prose, references to the astrological signs of everyone from Mother Teresa and Madonna to Bill Clinton and Joseph Stalin, easy-to-follow recipes, and celestial renderings of classic dishes are undeniably appetizing.